Russian prominent commander visits in Syria’s Raqqa
AIN ISSA, Syria (North Press) – A Russian military delegation, led by the commander of the Russian forces in Syria, Aleksandr Chaiko, visited on Thursday Tel Abyad Region Council in the town of Ain Issa, 50 km, north of Raqqa, northern Syria, to discuss the situation and developments in the region.
An informed source said that the visiting delegation touched upon the reality of the current military developments, the constant exposure of the region and its service utilities to Turkish shelling.
The co-chair of Tel Abyad Region Council, Hamid al-Abd, said that the Turkish attacks on the countryside of Ain Issa and Tel Abyad destabilize the security and stability of the region and cause injuries to the residents.
Before Turkish incursion in 2019, Tel Abyad was affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). After that, the administration board moved to Ain Issa.
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily there.
The Turkish shelling touches service utilities such as water stations, power stations, and schools, which affects people’s lives and impedes their access to services, he added.
Al-Abd denounced the repeated shelling of the M4 Highway which put the lives of the people passing it in danger.
He stressed the need for the Russians to abide by their commitments as a guarantor of the cessation of hostilities, and to abide by the terms of the Sochi Agreement on October 22, 2019, which preceded its deployment in the region to ensure the ceasefire.
The Russian delegation expressed its understanding of the dangers facing the region, stressing that they are constantly recording violations and submitting them to the Russian leadership in Syria, stationed at Khmeimim Air Base, and pledged to stand up to these attacks.
Ain Issa and its western and eastern villages and other areas northern Syria are subjected to continuous shelling by the Turkish forces and its affiliated opposition factions also known as Syrian National Army (SNA) every once in a while.
Following the Turkish “Peace Spring” military operation in October 2019, which resulted in the occupation of the two cities of Tel Abyad, north of Raqqa, and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), north of Hasakah, Turkey signed two ceasefire agreements, one was with Russia and the other was with the US.
The agreements stipulate halt of all hostilities there and the withdrawal of the SDF 30 km in depth away from the Turkish border in addition to conducting Turkish-Russian joint patrols in order to monitor the implementation of the agreements.